New York Rangers

The NHL announced Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson was fined $5,000 for roughing during Monday's game against the New York Rangers.

While it was the maximum allowable fine under the collective bargaining agreement, the Rangers were not happy that Wilson was not suspended. 

They released a strong statement after the penalty was revealed:

pic.twitter.com/M7tw4YOeDF

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) May 4, 2021

"The New York Rangers are extremely disappointed that Capitals forward Tom Wilson was not suspended for his horrifying act of violence last night at Madison Square Garden," the statement said.

It also pointed out he is a "repeat offender with a long history of these types of acts" and that his actions cost Artemi Panarin the rest of his season because of injury. Perhaps most notably, the Rangers said "we view this as a dereliction of duty by NHL head of player safety, George Parros, and believe he is unfit to continue in his current role."

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN described the scene from Monday's game, noting Wilson punched Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich in the back of the head when he was face down on the ice. He then started fighting with Panarin and eventually flipped the Rangers star onto the ice in a move that caused the injury.

Wilson is no stranger to controversy.

James O'Brien of Pro Hockey Talk noted the NHL has suspended him five times and fined him an additional three times. He was also fortunate to avoid multiple suspensions during the 2018 postseason even though he was suspended once during those playoffs.

Wilson is known for his hard hits, dirty plays and drawing the ire of opposing fanbases. He is now the direct cause of a stunning statement from the Rangers that went as far as to say Parros is incapable of doing his job.

On the season, Wilson has 33 points on 13 goals and 20 assists.

His Capitals are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins atop the East Division with 71 points.

New York Rangers coach David Quinn confirmed Artemi Panarin will miss the team's final three games due to the lower-body injury he suffered in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals.

Panarin exited the game in the second period after twice being slammed to the ice by Tom Wilson.

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Wilson received a $5,000 fine for his roughing penalty on Pavel Buchnevich. The scuffle with Panarin went unmentioned.

I understand why people are upset/confused over no suspension for Tom Wilson, but here's how the Department of Player Safety saw it..

-The "fall" on Buchnevich isn't much.
-The punch is what Wilson got fined for.
-Everything after? Two guys wrestling, which happens every night. https://t.co/t2HeFFLYPd

— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) May 4, 2021

Quinn criticized Wilson after the game and told reporters Panarin "could've got seriously, seriously hurt."

"We all saw it. There's lines that can't be crossed...one of the star players in this league now who could have been seriously seriously hurt in that incident" - David Quinn on the Tom Wilson incident with Artemi Panarin and Pavel Buchnevich pic.twitter.com/jDxrvNpyQ3

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) May 4, 2021

Many expected Wilson to receive a suspension of some kind since the 27-year-old is a repeat offender. He was most recently banned for seven games in March after hitting Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo in the head during a check along the boards.

Instead, it appears Panarin will be the only one to miss time.

The Russian wing's injury doesn't ultimately change much for the Rangers, who have already been eliminated from postseason contention. New York is fifth in the East division, nine points behind the New York Islanders.

Panarin finishes the year with 17 goals and 41 assists in 42 games. Despite him missing so much time, his 58 points will likely wind up as the most on the team, with Mika Zibanejad sitting in second at 48 points.

New York Rangers coach David Quinn said the NHL has "lines that can't be crossed" in reference to altercations involving Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson and Rangers wingers Artemi Panarin and Pavel Buchnevich in Monday's 6-3 loss.

Wilson initially swung at Buchnevich while the Rangers right wing was face-down on the ice. That drew the ire of Panarin, who got into a scuffle with Wilson that involved Wilson taking a helmet-less Panarin down to the ice twice.

Panarin exited with a lower-body injury, and Quinn told reporters the 29-year-old Russian "could've got seriously, seriously hurt."

"We all saw it. There's lines that can't be crossed...one of the star players in this league now who could have been seriously seriously hurt in that incident" - David Quinn on the Tom Wilson incident with Artemi Panarin and Pavel Buchnevich pic.twitter.com/jDxrvNpyQ3

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) May 4, 2021

Mika Zibanejad echoed his coach's thoughts:

"I figured you should have some more respect for the game and for the players...it's just horrible. Zero respect. I don't know why I'm surprised" - Mika Zibanejad on the Tom Wilson incident tonight pic.twitter.com/f1veh5G3af

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) May 4, 2021

Wilson was assessed a two-minute roughing penalty and a 10-minute misconduct penalty for his role in the incident. He remained in the game and scored Washington's final goal at the 18:34 mark of the third period.

The Athletic's Tarik El-Bashir noted Wilson has already amassed almost $1.3 million in fines and missed 30 games due to suspensions. Most recently, he was out for seven games because of a hit on Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo along the boards.

Upon returning to the ice, the 27-year-old signaled a desire to rein in his aggression.

"At the end of the day, it can’t happen," he told reporters. "I can’t be missing seven games. I can’t be missing one game. I’ve got to be in the lineup."

That Wilson is a repeat offender could lead the NHL to hand down a more significant punishment than his seven-game ban. The Capitals have four games left in the regular season, so his availability for the playoffs could be in jeopardy.

https://twitter.com/DamoSpin/status/1389416820222963713

The NHL is no longer a fighting league with enforcers to police the game. Tom Wilson has taken advantage of this. The NHL must hold Wilson and the Caps accountable. None of this 4 games and ready for game one garbage.

— Don La Greca (@DonLagreca) May 4, 2021

Asked about the consequences Wilson should face, Quinn said it wasn't his decision to make but that the NHL has "been dealing with this for a while."

Limited attendance notwithstanding, the Rangers-Devils' four-game set over the past week felt like a postseason series.

While the Devils were supposed to be in a growing year, their counterparts across the Hudson came into the season with optimistic expectations. Artemi Panarin is one of the NHL's most dynamic forwards. Rangers youngsters such as Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko and Ryan Lindgren gained postseason experience in last year's bubble. To top it all off, they drafted Alexis Lafreniere No. 1 overall in October. 

Yet the Rangers have endured a frustrating roller coaster of a season. A slow start put them on the outside looking in of the four playoff spots of the MassMutual East Division, but they've come alive in recent games. They're riding a four-game winning streak after a sweep of their lowly division rivals and sit four points out of a playoff spot, but they have to contend with four legitimate Stanley Cup hopefuls ahead of them. It's an uphill climb and a steep one.

The Blueshirts are in a strange sort of limbo. They probably aren't good enough to reach the postseason, but they're not bad enough to tank and try to get another high draft pick.

The Rangers have four key young players in the lineup in Lafreniere, 2019 first-rounder Kakko, 2018 first-round pick K'Andre Miller and goalie Igor Shesterkin (drafted No. 118 in 2014). They have one of the best forwards in the game in Panarin and a Norris Trophy hopeful in Fox.

Pavel Buchnevich celebrated his 26th birthday with his first career hat trick Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. Vitali Kravtsov, another 2018 pick, debuted earlier this month after a standout KHL career. 

The club also boasts one of the NHL's top prospect pools, so it's impossible to not be excited about the future of the Rangers. But if they weren't able to do any damage in the East Division this year, then what will it take to compete in the Metropolitan Division moving forward?

Divisional alignment will play a role. The previous divisional format will likely return next season, so the Rangers won't be forced to play 32 games against the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. Seeing all 32 teams will level the playing field.

The trade deadline came and went without the Rangers making any major deals. Being good but not good enough is a tough spot for a general manager. Typically, it's frowned upon to not do anything at the deadline. It is a way to gain assets for the future, be it short-term or long-term. Be a buyer or be a seller, but don't do nothing.

But this was a unique situation where doing nothing was the best thing. General manager Jeff Gorton opted to not give up a key piece in the rebuild for a pricey rental who may be able to help the Rangers get to the playoffs but not much further. 

The team should be aggressive in the trade market this summer. The Rangers have nine draft picks this year and seven next year, including both first-round picks. At some point, they'll have to upgrade Panarin's center, and Buffalo's Jack Eichel should be the obvious target. The Rangers have to decide if Eichel, along with the five years and $50 million left on his contract, is worth it or if they can stand pat with Ryan Strome as Panarin's linemate.

But elite, playmaking centers of Eichel's caliber don't come along often. Scoring wingers of Panarin's caliber don't come along often either, and elite tandems like that usually lead to championships. Just ask Ryan Getzlaf about having Corey Perry on his wing with the Anaheim Ducks or Jonathan Toews about having Patrick Kane by his side in Chicago.

Eichel leads the Rangers brass to what might be the biggest question of the offseason: Do they keep coach David Quinn or go in another direction for the next step in this rebuild? 

Quinn, the former Boston University coach hired in 2018, has been scrutinized for the slow development of Kakko and Lafreniere. The criticism hit a fever pitch when Quinn and his assistants were forced to quarantine because of COVID-19 protocols in March. Kris Knoblauch, the head coach of the team's AHL affiliate, took over behind the bench. In Knoblauch's first game filling in for Quinn, the Rangers walloped the Flyers 9-0, and the team went on a 4-2 run with him in charge.

Established coaches like Claude Julien are out there, and others will become available after the season ends. But Eichel might want to play for Quinn, his former college coach, and the younger players might be better served with some coaching continuity.

The kids on the team will get a crash course in elevated play over the final month of the season. Forget all of the analytics and underlying numbers. Kravtsov, Miller, Kakko and Lafreniere will get bigger roles, play bigger minutes and face difficult matchups.

Maybe they'll steal a few more wins than anticipated and get themselves into a postseason position. If not, this kind of late-season experience may be more beneficial than playing in lopsided postseason losses anyway.

The next step in this rebuild should be the one that gets the Rangers back into contention, not just for playoff spots but for Stanley Cups too. Their core is too good and their farm system is too deep for anything else. The Rangers are almost ready to contend again, but the club has to answer some big questions before it can take that next step.

Seven years ago, the Stanley Cup was Hollywood vs. Broadway. It was a five-game series defined by two of the best goalies in the world who could not have been more different, on the ice or off it, and two teams that looked like they would dominate their divisions for years to come.

There was Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, the dapper king of the Garden, who needed a Stanley Cup jewel to put in his crown. King Hank played so deep in his crease he created an ice pile that saved a goal in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden and prevented the Rangers from getting swept.

Jonathan Quick was the antithesis of Lundqvist—and probably still is. Well-spoken and well-dressed, Hank wore tailored suits, while the Connecticut native often showed up to postseason press conferences dressed like Bill Belichick, a hooded sweatshirt with cutoff sleeves, and speaking like him as well—short and gruff.

Quick lived life on the crease dangerously, often playing way out of his net and antagonizing his opponents. Not much has changed on that front.

But the defining moment of that series was Alec Martinez scoring the game-winner in double-overtime at Staples Center to secure the Los Angeles Kings' second Stanley Cup in three seasons. The defenseman was so excited he shook off his gloves in a celebration that Angelenos still refer to simply as "jazz hands."

Then it all unraveled for both teams. Their cores aged. The coaches were fired. Stars retired. Rebuilds are inevitable in salary-cap leagues, even for the big-market teams. Years later, these teams find themselves in similar positions trying to do exactly that. They have the two deepest prospect pools in hockey, so while their outlooks are strong, it's unclear just how near that future is.

Let's take a look at the two rebuilds and see whether we can gauge how quickly these teams will return to prominence.

                 

Where the Builds Began

The Rangers issued a statement to fans ahead of the trade deadline in February 2018, saying the club intended to be sellers instead of buyers. At the time, the Rangers were within striking distance of a playoff spot, but the Blueshirts brass saw the writing on the wall: The game was getting younger and faster, and the Rangers needed to follow that blueprint if they wanted to be competitive in the future.

They traded star forward Rick Nash and Michael Grabner. The biggest haul came from the trade that sent captain Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Through those three trades alone, the Rangers received three players currently contributing at the NHL level (Ryan Lindgren, Brett Howden and Libor Hajek) and five draft picks, including two 2018 first-round picks, giving them a total of three in 2018.

The Kings were slower to come around to the idea of rebuilding. General manager Dean Lombardi and head coach Darryl Sutter, two people most responsible for building those championship teams, were fired in the spring of 2017 and replaced by franchise great Rob Blake and John Stevens.

The Kings still had a large group left from the 2014 Cup team: captain Anze Kopitar, former captain Dustin Brown, that '70s line of Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli that was so successful in postseasons past, role-player forwards Kyle Clifford and Trevor Lewis, Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Drew Doughty and his skating partner Jake Muzzin and, of course, Martinez and Quick. Blake saw a talented group still in its prime and believed it had another playoff run together.

But the game passed them by. The Kings were still playing a big-heavy game when the rest of the league went to speed and skill. They finally pulled the plug during the 2018-19 season, firing Stevens and starting the building process by acquiring draft picks.

           

What Came Next

The Rangers fired Alain Vigneault in 2018 and replaced him with David Quinn, the former Boston University coach who helped shape players like Jack Eichel at the collegiate level.

In 2019, the Rangers won the Artemi Panarin sweepstakes, signing the winger as a free agent through 2026. A trade-and-sign brought Jacob Trouba to the blue line, and the next season Chris Kreider was extended. Mika Zibanejad rounded out the leadership group.

A year later, Blake hired Todd McLellan to replace interim coach Willie Desjardins and used the 2019 trade deadline to stockpile more draft picks and bring in some quality prospects to reshape the farm system. The Kings were forced to part with several members from that Cup-winning team.

         

State of the Systems

The Kings and Rangers have done a fantastic job of bringing in prospects. The Athletic's Scott Wheeler ranks the Los Angeles system as No. 1 in the NHL and the New York system as No. 2.

The Rangers have most of their top-tier talent playing in the NHL. Wingers Kaapo Kakko (No. 2 overall in 2019) and Alexis Lafreniere (No. 1 in 2020) and defenseman K'Andre Miller (No. 22 in 2018) headline a young group, though defenseman Adam Fox, a Harvard product the Rangers acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes, has been the star. The Rangers also have two young goalies in Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev and several top prospects in Europe, with Vitali Kravtsov set to join the team any day.

Blake and his group brought high-end talent to their farm system and significantly deepened it after years of struggling to develop talent.

Quinton Byfield, the second overall pick in the 2020 draft, is the key piece. Byfield is playing for Ontario of the American Hockey League this season, with the Kings not trying to rush the development of their 6'4" game-changing center. This team won two Cups with significant depth up the middle, and Byfield could help them replicate that success in the future.

However, the Kings don't have a true goaltending prospect with Quick's likely replacement, Cal Petersen, already 26 years old, which complicates their situation.

           

Where They Stand

The Kings only have five players remaining from that 2014 squad, and one of them is Quick. He could also be their best piece come trade time. And for the first time since 2017-18, the playoffs might be in sight for Los Angeles. The Kings find themselves sitting in fifth place in the West Division, five points behind the St. Louis Blues, with the top four teams in each division making the playoffs this year. They may not be able to keep up with some of the better teams in the division, but they can easily fend off the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, and also probably the Arizona Coyotes.

So, how do they play this? Do they bring in a couple of players to help them get to the postseason or try to move some of their high-end forwards to bring in more assets? If they decide to go in the latter direction, they could trade Quick.

The 2012 Conn Smythe winner and two-time Jennings Trophy winner is 35. He still moves well laterally. He knows how to win. His contract is also relatively easy to swallow: Quick has two more years left after this season, and because his contract was heavily front-loaded, he'll make $3.5 million this year, $3 million next year and $2.5 million in the final year of his deal.

That cap space could be valuable to a team on the rise.

The Rangers had high hopes after making the postseason bubble last summer, but they haven't lived up to the hype. Kakko and Lafreniere have not developed into stars overnight. Quinn may be to blame. Or maybe it's the player development system as a whole. They've both been moved around the lineup quite a bit, which is not ideal for two young, developing players.

But at the same time, shuffling is going to happen when the team is struggling to find consistency. It's also possible they just need some time. They're both so young, and every player develops at his own pace.

               

The Outlook

The Rangers might have more NHL-ready talent and a younger core, but they need to get better on the back end of the blue line, and they need to figure out whether Quinn is the coach who can get them through this rebuild. If the prospects aren't developing under him, it could be time to go in another direction.

However, if there is a chance of the Rangers getting Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline or over the summer, then maybe he's worth keeping around.

The Kings have stabilized the whole operation. There is no question who is leading the rebuild and no question about who will be coaching the team next season.

So, which team is ahead in the race to rebuild?

Neither—they're neck and neck with the forgotten team from 2014, the Chicago Blackhawks, who lost to the Kings in overtime of a thrilling Game 7 in the Western Conference Final. Not much was expected from the Hawks without captain Jonathan Toews, who has been out all season with an undisclosed medical condition, but Patrick Kane has them sitting in fourth place in the Central Division.

We could be headed for a repeat of 2014 in the next five years: a Los Angeles-Chicago series and a Hollywood-Broadway Stanley Cup Final. They aren't there yet, but give it two years and prominence will be restored.

New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since taking personal leave from the NHL team on Feb. 22.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported Panarin stepped away from the club indefinitely after Andrei Nazarov, his former coach with the KHL's Chekhov Vityaz, alleged he was involved in a physical altercation with a woman in Latvia a decade ago.

The Rangers described the allegation as "clearly an intimidation tactic being used against [Panarin] for being outspoken on recent political events" in his native Russia.

The KHL said it received no information about an incident involving Panarin as described by Nazarov and the NHL hasn't acted on the allegation because of the lack of "corroborating evidence," per Kaplan.

Panarin has been an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and generated worldwide headlines in July 2019 when he did an interview with Russian YouTube outlet Vsemu Golovin (via Sportsnet) in which he called out Putin for the country's poor conditions:

"I think he no longer understands what's right and what's wrong. Psychologically, it's not easy for him soberly judge the situation. ...

"I am not saying this because I see any kind of profit for myself in this. I want the people to live better, for teachers and doctors to have better salaries. I don't want some ballerinas [Panarin is referring to the ultra-patriotic former dancer Anastasia Volochkova] to say, 'If you don't like it here, you can leave!' This is raving madness! Everyone has left already, all the brains are gone. This shouldn't be happening."

He added some fellow Russians make the mistake of treating Putin as a "superhuman" and said there's "no question there is someone better" than the current president.

Nazarov is a Putin supporter, and the Russian president also counts the Washington Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin among his backers.

Panarin recorded 18 points (five goals and 13 assists) in 14 games before taking the leave of absence. He finished third in voting for the Hart Trophy, the NHL's MVP Award, last season after tallying a career-high 95 points.

New York's next game is scheduled for Thursday night when it visits TD Garden to face the 

Russia's Kontinental Hockey League told ESPN's Emily Kaplan it has "not been aware of or received a complaint in relation to any incident involving Artemi Panarin in December 2011" following allegations by a former coach that the New York Rangers star was involved in a physical altercation with a woman a decade ago.

The KHL further stated that it "take[s] any allegations of misconduct incredibly seriously" and would have investigated if it received a complaint. 

Andrei Nazarov, who coached Panarin in the KHL, told a Russian newspaper earlier this week Panarin struck an 18-year-old woman multiple times in 2011, alleging Panarin "sent her to the floor with several powerful blows." Nazarov also alleged local police were paid 40,000 Euros to cover up the case. 

pic.twitter.com/VcOJ4BqMHm

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 22, 2021

Panarin began an indefinite leave of absence on Feb. 22 after news of Nazarov's comments reached North America. In a statement provided by New York, Panarin "vehemently and unequivocally" denied the story, calling it a fabrication. The Rangers are standing by the winger, calling the story "an intimidation tactic being used against him for being outspoken on recent political events." 

The 29-year-old became one of the most high-profile athletes to speak out against Russian President Vladimir Putin following the jailing of the opposition leader, Alexi Navalny, in January after he returned to Russia following a poison attack. 

Retribution was feared after Panarin's Instagram post on 1/21 in support of opposition leader Alexi Navalny with caption "Freedom for Navalny." Panarin, who has family in Russia, has been outspoken against Putin.

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) February 22, 2021

Two of Panarin's teammates in 2011 told Kaplan they weren't aware of any such incident taking place with one calling the entire story a "hoax", but another teammate, Mikhail Ansin, told Russia's Sports-Express an incident took place at a karaoke bar when said Panarin "pushed one girl a little bit" and no charges were brought. Ansin was also skeptical of any payments to police, saying players did not earn that much money.

Kaplan noted that "there has been no corroborating evidence and no court or police records to support Nazarov's allegations, nor has a victim come forward." 

The NHL is currently looking into the allegations. 

New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin will be taking a leave of absence after a Russian newspaper article alleged he assaulted an 18-year-old woman in 2011.

The team released a statement Monday, with Panarin denying any assault occurred.

pic.twitter.com/VcOJ4BqMHm

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 22, 2021

Andrei Nazarov, Panarin's former coach with the KHL's HC Vityaz, made the allegation. Nazarov and Panarin have been at odds over the Rangers star's criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin and support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Panarin is perhaps the highest-profile Russian athlete to speak out against Putin, the authoritarian leader who has had several critics in the country die under suspicious circumstances during his time in office.

Retribution was feared after Panarin's Instagram post on 1/21 in support of opposition leader Alexi Navalny with caption "Freedom for Navalny." Panarin, who has family in Russia, has been outspoken against Putin.

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) February 22, 2021

The allegations are coming from a former head coach of Panarin's while he was with the KHL's Vitayaz, Andrei Nazarov, who has repeatedly criticized Panarin for his outspoken position on Russian president Vladimir Putin's regime.

— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) February 22, 2021

“I think he no longer understands what’s right and what’s wrong,” Panarin said in 2019. “Psychologically, it’s not easy for him to judge the situation soberly. He has a lot of people who influence his decisions. But if everyone is walking around you for 20 years telling you what a great guy you are and how great a job you are doing, you will never see your mistakes.”

Panarin joined the Rangers ahead of the 2019-20 season and has been their best player since his arrival. He has 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 14 appearances this season.

Defenseman Tony DeAngelo has apparently played his final game for the New York Rangers.

The team announced he was not on the ice Sunday because he was on waivers. On Monday, general manager Jeff Gorton said DeAngelo would no longer play for the team after a skirmish with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

"[Tony DeAngelo] has played his last game for the Rangers" - Jeff Gorton pic.twitter.com/Zgu1pMZzFG

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) February 2, 2021

Friedman noted Gorton said DeAngelo was given one final chance after he was upset when he was scratched earlier in the season, and that issue with Georgiev appears to have been the final straw.

Emily Kaplan of ESPN provided more details, noting DeAngelo went unclaimed on waivers Monday.

This comes after the Rangers appeared to make the defenseman a key part of their future when they signed him to a two-year, $9.6 million contract extension in October. However, he struggled out of the gates in 2020-21 and was benched for multiple games following a costly penalty in the home opener.

He was also on the ice for four goals against during Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime.

Kaplan described the altercation with Georgiev as a "minor" one, but it was yet another unwanted development involving the defenseman for the Rangers this season.

DeAngelo played for the Arizona Coyotes in 2016-17 and has been with the Rangers ever since.

Last season was his best for New York, as he posted career-high marks across the board with 53 points on 15 goals and 38 assists in 68 games. He also finished with a plus-minus of plus-12, which stands in stark contrast to his minus-six mark and single point through six games this season.

The Rangers face the Penguins again Monday in their first game since moving on from DeAngelo.

The New York Rangers reportedly put Tony DeAngelo on waivers after the defenseman got in an altercation with goalie Alexandar Georgiev on Saturday night, according to Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic.

The incident came after a 5-4 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins with the two players separated after an altercation in the tunnel leading up to the locker room.

DeAngelo didn't practice with the team Sunday and was waived, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post.

"It's a decision we made as an organization," head coach David Quinn said. "...This isn't about one incident, it's not about one thing. This is a situation the organization felt was best at this current time. We'll see how the situation plays out."

It could have been the last straw for a player who was already benched earlier this year for a needless unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

DeAngelo was also a healthy scratch in 2019 for what Quinn deemed as a "maturity issue."

Salim Nadim Valji of TSN noted the 25-year-old has been involved in controversies off the ice as well:

W/ Tony DeAngelo’s NHL future up in the air, it’s worth talking about how the New York Rangers enabled & promoted him the past 4 yrs, despite knowing his history of racist comments & current problematic behaviour that includes COVID denials & that the American election is rigged.

— Salim Nadim Valji (@salimvalji) January 31, 2021

The 2014 first-round pick had showed promise as a player, finishing last season fourth among the team with 53 points. His 38 assists tied for ninth in the NHL among defenseman.

DeAngelo has been off to a slower start in 2020-21 with just one assist and no goals in six games with a minus-six rating. 

He was on the ice for four goals in the loss to the Penguins, including the game-winner by Sidney Crosby.

Carpiniello reported the Rangers "certainly scoured the market for a trade partner" but were unable to find a reasonable option. He will now be available to any team who claims him by Monday at noon.